The letter is a clear attempt to counter democratic efforts to pursue budget reconciliation the path to the next round of coronavirus aid. This week, Democrats in both chambers plan to pass budget resolutions that will allow the party to approve Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus plan without GOP votes.
Still, there is little room for error on that path: All 50 Senate Democrats should be on board, and House leaders could afford few dropouts. And the Republicans in a bipartisan negotiating body have urged Biden to push the effort to move forward without quashing them, though Democrats are skeptical that they will ever get on board with the grand spending plan they believe is needed to reviving the economy.
Republican senators will release more details about their plan on Monday, according to a Republican assistant. Sunday’s letter indicated that it will also extend unemployment benefits that expire in March, respond to Biden’s request for nutritional assistance, and send a new round of payments to “those families who need help most, including their dependent children. and adults. ” It will also address childcare, small business assistance, and school funding.
Republicans and some Democrats have complained that high-income people would be eligible for the next round of $ 1,400 payments. And no Republican has even expressed lukewarm support for Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion spend. That’s why Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer say they will move forward if Republicans get in the way of their plan.
In addition to Collins, the letter was signed by GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski from Alaska, Bill Cassidy from Louisiana, Mitt Romney from Utah, Rob Portman from Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito from West Virginia, Todd Young from Indiana, Jerry Moran from Kansas, Thom Tillis from North Carolina and Mike Rounds from South Dakota. They say if Biden is willing to listen to them, Congress won’t have to pass a partisan coronavirus bill.
“In 2020, members of the House and Senate and the previous government met five times on a bipartisan basis,” they wrote on Sunday. “With your support, we believe that Congress can reassemble a relief package that will provide meaningful, effective aid to the American people and help us on the road to recovery.”